The present invention relates generally to cable ties and more particularly to a cable tie used in conjunction with a cable tie installation tool.
Cable ties, also known as harnessing devices, are well known devices and are commonly used in the art for holding together a bundle of objects, such as wires or cables.
One type of cable tie which is well known and widely used in the art comprises an elongated strip of plastic material having rectangular head at one end and a serrated tail at the other end. Feeding the tail of the tie through a strap receiving channel formed in the head results in the cable tie taking the shape of a loop with the serrations of the tail engaging and being locked in position by a pawl inside the head, the tail being incapable of removal once it is inserted in the head.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,529 to J. R. Paradis, which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a bundling of objects using a harnessing device with a locking head and a strap with teeth that are controlled by stretching. The locking head contains a pawl or tang that engages the teeth of the strap by wedging. One or more wedging teeth are desirably located on the locking tang as well. A further tooth to promote locking is desirably included in the locking head. The strap is advantageously molded of stretch reorientable material which is subsequently stretched to control the profile of the teeth which are engaged by the locking tang and head. The teeth are spaced on the strap to permit use of the teeth near the head for the harnessing of small bundles. The pawl is provided with specified pivot points for both the insertion and loading of the strap in the head.
Another type of cable tie which is well known and widely used in the art comprises an apertured strap fitted to a buckle-like head, with a tongue that enters the apertures of the strap.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,608 to R. B. Fay, which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a tie formed by a locking head and an attached ladder strap. The head contains a longitudinal guide channel for receiving the strap, after encirclement of items to be bundled, and an internal locking tang. The latter is deflected with respect to relatively narrow auxiliary channels on opposite sides of the guide channel. One of the auxiliary channels receives the locking tang during the bundling of the items; the other auxiliary channel contains a stop against which the locking tang becomes abutted in planar engagement by the reverse thrust of the harnessed items.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,648 to L. P. Dekkers, which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a tie formed by a locking head and an attached ladder strap. The head contains a locking tang and a guide channel that receives the strap after encirclement of items to be bundled. The tang engages the rungs of the ladder strap for the adjustable retention of the items. The free end of the strap has a light-weight webbed tail that facilitates the insertion of the strap into the head. The strap is advantageously molded of a stretch reorientable material and is subsequently stretched to produce a suitable strengthening and elongation of the webbed tail.
Cable ties of the type described above are often wrapped around a bundle of objects using a portable cable tie installation tool. As can be appreciated, a cable tie installation tool facilitates the ease in which an operator can feed the tail of a cable tie through its associated head and cinch the closed loop cable tie around a desired bundle, which is highly desirable.
Cable tie installation tools typically comprise a housing which is adapted to receive a cable tie, a transport assembly which advances the tail of the cable tie around the plurality of objects to be bundled, a jaw assembly which guides the tail through the head to form the cable tie into a closed loop around the desired bundle, a cinch assembly which further advances the tail through the head so as to reduce the size of the closed loop around the desired bundle, and a cut assembly which severs the excess portion of the tail fed through the head when the cable tie is formed into a closed loop around the desired bundle.
It should be noted that cable tie installation tools of the type described above often include one or more electric motors which derive their power from a power cord or a battery pack that is either disposed within the housing or carried by the operator. In use, the one or more electric motors may be used to drive the transport assembly, the jaw assembly, the cinch assembly and the cut assembly.
It should also be noted that cable tie installation tools of the type described above are often used in conjunction with a continuous clip, or strip, of interconnected cable ties. As can be appreciated, cable tie installation tools which are used in conjunction with a continuous clip of cable ties typically include a motor driven mechanism for separating an individual cable tie from the remaining clip of cable ties.
During use of cable tie installation tools of the type described above, it has been found to be desirable to be able to adjust the tension level of the closed loop formed by the cable tie around the bundle. In particular, it has been found to be desirable to be able to terminate activation of the cinch assembly and to actuate the cut assembly of the cable tie installation tool at a precise, operator selected tension level.
Accordingly, it is well known in the art for cable tie installation tools to include means for adjusting the tension level of the closed loop formed by a cable tie around a desired bundle.
As an example, cable tie installation tools often utilize mechanical means for controlling the tension level of the closed loop formed by a cable tie around a desired bundle. Specifically, cable tie installation tools often comprise a mechanical piece which physically contacts the cinching mechanism. As a result, the physical contact of the mechanical piece onto the cinching mechanism serves to add enough friction so as to regulate the tension of the closed loop of the cable tie around the bundle.
Prior art cable tie installation tools which utilize mechanical means to control the tension level of the closed loop formed by a cable tie around a desired bundle are well known and are commonly used in commerce. However, it has been found that cable tie installation tools which utilize mechanical means to control the tension level of the closed loop formed by a cable tie around a desired bundle suffer from a couple notable drawbacks.
As a first drawback, it has been found that cable tie installation tools which utilize mechanical means to control the tension level of the closed loop formed by a cable tie around a desired bundle are difficult to control, which is highly undesirable. Specifically, it has been found to be difficult to accurately and consistently control the precise level of tension in which a cable tie wraps around a desired bundle using a mechanical piece which frictionally engages the cinch assembly.
As a second drawback, it has been found that cable tie installation tools which utilize mechanical means to control the tension level of the closed loop formed by a cable tie around a desired bundle provide the cable tie installation tool with a limited range of user selectable tension levels, which is highly undesirable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved cable tie installation tool.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved cable tie installation tool which can be used to wrap a cable tie around a bundle of two or more objects.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cable tie installation tool as described above which has a limited number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and is easy to use.
It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide a cable tie installation tool which allows for the operator to adjust the tension level of the closed loop formed by the cable tie around the bundle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cable tie installation tool which allows for the operator to accurately control the precise tension level of the closed loop formed by the cable tie around the bundle.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cable tie installation tool which allows for a wide range of user selectable tension levels of the closed loop formed by the cable tie around the bundle.
Accordingly, there is provided a cable tie installation tool for fastening a cable tie around a plurality of objects, said cable tie comprising a head and a tail formed onto said head, said head being adapted to cooperate with said tail to form a closed loop around the plurality of objects, said cable tie installation tool comprising a first motor, a second motor, a jaw assembly driven by said first motor, said jaw assembly being adapted to guide the tail around the plurality of objects and through its associated head to form the cable tie into a closed loop around the plurality of objects, a transport assembly driven by said second motor, said transport assembly advancing the cable tie into said jaw assembly, a cinch assembly driven by said second motor, said cinch assembly advancing the tail through the head so as to reduce the size of the closed loop around the plurality of objects, a control circuit for controlling operation of said first motor and said second motor, said control circuit electrically monitoring the tension level of the closed loop around the bundle, said control circuit establishing a desired tension level, and a cut assembly for severing the excess portion of the tail fed through the head when said control circuit detects the desired tension level of the closed loop around the plurality of objects.
Additional objects, as well as features and advantages, of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments for practicing the invention. The embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.